(The Amazon links in this post are affiliate links,* which means that if you purchase something using them, I get a small portion of the sale. It’s a small way you can support the blog, but only if you’d like!)

Okay, I know it’s not technically summer yet (see previous post), but . . . HAPPY SUMMER!!!

I am feeling so much better this week and settling into the groove of summer. I am reading Anne Brontë’s (of the Brontë sisters) The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, and am ambitiously looking forward to reading Eric Metaxas’s biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and maybe David McCullough’s John Adams biography (partly because we are studying the first half of American history next school year). Which one will I start first, and which will I finish, only time will tell. I’m also absorbing a ton of wisdom and encouragement from Paul Tripp’s Parenting.

I got the chance to attend the HEAV (Virginia Homeschool) Convention in Richmond, VA this past weekend with my friend Katie. Every year I’ve gone has been encouraging for me as an educator and a parent. There’s also a HUGE used curriculum sale and all kinds of fun homeschool vendors, in addition to the fun of being in Richmond with my friend talking, missing exits, and gushing over good food. It helps me to remember there is more to me than just “mommy,” although I love and cherish that role. Have I mentioned how supportive my husband is? I came home to lots of mommy-missing kids, a clean house, and Thai food!

My girls are currently reading a lot of library books, mostly books with sparkly covers about magical animal adventurers. To be accurate, one is reading, and the other is mostly browsing and slowly, painfully, emerging as a real reader, which is amazing to witness.

The girls are also often listening to Jonathan Park during their daily rest time (we bought an online subscription for their birthday present). Here’s a little trick that works for our us during rest time: I stream audio stories on my phone and give them a Bluetooth speaker (I got this one for Christmas) to listen to in the other room. I’m not comfortable with them having access to my phone or another tablet when I’m not in the room, so this is a simple solution.

As a church, we are taking a break from our regular community groups and doing some fun, member-created groups for the summer. Some friends and I are hosting two coloring nights where we’ll get together over some snacks and tea or coffee and chat while we color my Bible coloring pages. This would be a fun and easy way to connect with friends over the summer! Besides all the freebie coloring pages on the blog, this set in the shop has a lot of fun coloring pages perfect for a ladies’ night.

And speaking of coloring pages, I have a new one for you that I made a while ago, but just haven’t gotten around to sharing yet!

We generally think that looking back is not a healthy way to move forward, but when recounting God’s faithfulness, looking back can be crucial to our hope and confidence.

When looking back, we can see with clarity how God never abandoned us. The “recount” of His “wonderful deeds” fills us with hope that in the future, we will again look back and see the same faithfulness written all over the days we’re currently living. I’m not convinced we’ll look back and understand all the elements of our story, but I am confident we will see God’s presence.

I know that in some seasons, it’s hard to get our tired and worn hearts to begin the recount. Like a slow and weighted train, we feel immovable. Today, let’s start at the cross, and the costly sacrifice on our behalf, planned before the world was spoken into existence, when He chose us in Him (Ephesians 1:4; Revelation 13:8). Despite our fluctuating feelings, our whole hearts can, like that slow-starting train, begin to move forward in faith.

Today’s printable Bible verse coloring page is from Psalm 9:1. You can download your page HERE in Spanish or HERE in English, or by clicking on the image below!*